And So It Begins
by Sandileina
Summary: Niou and Marui, AKA Haru and Maru, run into Hyoutei’s Silver Pair. I’d flee for cover if I were you.


**Disclaimer: **Here's a random fact: Not all Italians are crazy. Here's another random fact: I don't own Prince of Tennis, or any of the characters. :)

**Rating: **PG?

**Warnings: **Some language, mentions of shounen-ai

**Summary: **Niou and Marui (AKA Haru and Maru) run into Hyoutei's Silver Pair. I'd flee for cover if I were you.

**Author's notes:** Another Rikkai drabblething. **You don't have to have read the ones that come before this, but it might help a bit. **The drabblething list goes:

**Times of Stress**

**Passing the Time**

**How to ask out Marui Bunta**

**Four Days Later**

**October Ice**

**Because I Love You**

**Evil**

**Further Nonsense**

**Dear Diary**

**Kind of… the same**

**100 Word Challenges**

**Driver in a Hurry, Child in a Coma**

**Doctor, doctor!**

**The Woes of Solomon Grundy**

**I'm Not Going**

**The Little Things**

**I Had To**

**He WHAT?!**

**Operation: Christmas Party**

**Being Fukubuchou**

**Once Upon a Time**

**My Brother Bunta**

**Dear Diary: Living with Niou-senpai**

**A Morning at the Pool**

**This is Love**

**SFRR**

**And So It Begins**

For **Roey-Clein**. Because 'Haru and Maru' sounds better. ;D

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"What's the score?" Shishido asked, gulping in lungfuls of air. He brushed one sleeve across his face in place of a towel, getting rid of the sweat that had built up on his skin.

Across the net his doubles partner and current opponent gave a sheepish smile. "Um, I'm sorry, Shishido-san, but I haven't been keeping track. I thought you were keeping the score."

Shishido scowled. "Well, I was, but then I kind of… lost it."

"Oh. Well, it doesn't matter," Ohtori Choutarou smiled. "Shall we have a break?"

"Yeah, sure." They headed for the little bench, tiredness starting to set into their muscles.

It was just past seven in the evening. There hadn't been an after-school practice because some random first-year mini-festival thing had taken up most of the courts. So instead, Shishido and Choutarou had taken it upon themselves to use the one free court to practise by themselves after everyone else had left.

The sun had set a while ago, but the huge overhead lights shone down on the courts like sunlight, so it wasn't a problem. Hyoutei really did have the best facilities. Damn straight too, Shishido reckoned, seeing as it was such an expensive school.

"… Shishido-san?" Choutarou asked suddenly, a puzzled frown on his face. "Can you hear voices?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Shishido demanded, sitting up straighter. "I am _not_ crazy! I'm just a bit _moody_. There's a difference!"

"No, I meant, can you hear someone coming towards the courts?"

Shishido's ready-to-go rant deflated. "Oh." He listened for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right. I recognise the voices, I think…"

"OW!"

"Well then, get off! Idiot!"

"You _bit_ me! Bastard!"

"Bloody sugar freak! Let go!"

Shishido and Choutarou stared as two people fell through the gate into the sudden bright light of the tennis courts. They both recoiled instantly, shielding their eyes.

"What the hell? Why're the fucking lights on?" one of them demanded, getting up and squinting.

"… You! You're from Rikkai Dai!" Shishido stood up, taking a couple of steps towards them. "What are you doing on Hyoutei grounds?"

The two exchanged glances. The pink-haired one gave them a nervous smile. "Nothing. We don't mess with Atobe's training schedule, or anything like that… We don't swap all your stuff around either. Honest."

Shishido levelled a furious glare at them. "That's _you_?! Atobe's been blaming me for that!"

"Really? Can't imagine why. I mean, it's not as though you have anger management issues or anything," Niou drawled slyly, rubbing a couple more times at his eyes before they managed to adjust to the light.

"I do _not_… I don't have anger management issues," Shishido ground out.

"Why do you do that?" Choutarou asked, not standing up from the bench. "It frustrates Atobe-senpai enormously, you know. And it annoys everyone else when they find their things in someone else's locker space."

"Well, yes…" Marui said slowly. "That's kind of why we do it."

"It's a way to kill time, yanno," Niou shrugged. "Plus, we figure that with the amount we torture and drive fukubuchou to an early grave, we may as well do this little thing for him. See, when Atobe's frustrated, he runs to fukubuchou for comfort and kisses. Everyone wins."

"Except us," said Shishido, not easing up on the glare.

"Ah, well, you'll be rewarded when you die, I'm sure," Niou grinned.

Shishido and Choutarou stared blankly at the two smirking third years.

"You are both," Shishido said, very slowly, "quite clearly insane. Please leave before you infect us."

"What? No way in hell. I've been wanting a rematch for ages," Niou snickered. "You might've beaten me last time, but I'm dead sober now."

"When did you have a match with the cap dude?" Marui asked, surprised.

"Eh, sometime just after Nationals," shrugged the Trickster. "I forget when exactly. But it doesn't matter. Whaddaya say? Feel like getting your ass kicked?"

Shishido huffed. "As if. You were rubbish drunk, and you'll probably be worse sober."

"Ahh, the optimist. A rare species that I'll take every effort to squash." So saying, Niou directed his gaze towards the second year. "Hey, would you get me a racquet? Me and Maru haven't quite worked out where they're kept yet."

"You can use one of mine if you like?" Choutarou offered, holding his out. Shishido gave him an astounded look.

"Choutarou!" he said, sounding injured. "You're meant to be on my side!"

Choutarou flushed. "I am on your side, Shishido-san," he protested. "I just… well, it makes more sense for Niou-san to use my racquet rather than me going to the clubhouse to get one for him, doesn't it?"

"Exactly. You tell him." Niou took the offered racquet with a little mock-bow.

"I'll umpire," Marui said quickly, hopping up into the umpire's seat eagerly.

"That's not fair!" Shishido protested instantly.

"Calling me biased?" Marui asked, putting on a mock-affronted face. "For your information I'm actually more likely to be bias towards you than 'Haru, so keep your cap on."

"But you're on the same team," Shishido muttered.

"Doesn't mean we _like_ each other."

Completely confused, Choutarou ventured nervously, "But, um, Sanada-san said that you two are pretty much best friends?"

"So?"

"… Aren't best friends meant to like each other? Isn't that kind of… the point?"

"And you two did come here together," Shishido added.

"Che, it's complicated," Niou said dismissively. "We might explain later. Right now I wanna win a tennis match."

"One set match!" Marui called out happily. "Shishido to serve!"

"Hey!" Niou said indignantly, turning to glower at Marui. "Why does he get the first serve?"

Shishido took full advantage of Niou's distraction and served an ace.

Almost, anyway.

"Ha," Niou said smugly, enjoying the flabbergasted expression on the Hyoutei player's face. "Geez, my reflexes aren't as bad as last time, you know. And I'm getting good at the whole acrobatic tennis thing too."

"… What's the _point_ of hitting a tennis ball behind your back, anyway?" Shishido grumbled, getting another ball out of his pocket to serve.

"Ah, 'Haru'll nick any excuse to look like an idiot," Marui snickered. "Love-15."

"You take that _back_, Marui Bunta," grunted Niou, barely catching Shishido's serve behind his back again and moving up the court.

"Why? It's true!"

"Is _not_."

"Bloody is!"

Choutarou watched in frank amazement as the two continued to bicker loudly, Marui barely pausing to call out the scores, sometimes mid-sentence, before continuing. Niou's play didn't seem to be affected by it at all; in fact, his concentration seemed to be even better than a non-distracted Wakashi Hiyoshi. On a good day.

It was kind of bizarre, Choutarou thought. Niou-san was obviously used to doubles; you could see it in the way he moved, the direction he moved, the shots he hit. But even though he was currently playing singles with Shishido, he didn't make a single effort to make the shots easier for himself. It was as though he was playing doubles with a very incompetent (and invisible. Obviously) partner. How odd.

The match lasted just under forty minutes.

Shishido couldn't believe he'd lost in front of Choutarou. And that _damn_ Niou was treating his victory as something that he hadn't needed to put much effort into getting.

"Is that really all you can do?" he sneered, eyes glittering triumphantly. "You're ok, I guess, but you don't have much natural talent, do you?"

"You…!" Shishido vaulted the net, furious and humiliated. Niou laughed as Shishido grabbed the front of his shirt, snarling.

"Temper, temper," he grinned maliciously.

Marui got down from the umpire's chair and kicked almost lazily at the back of Niou's leg. "Stop being a bad winner, 'Haru. Bet you're just annoyed that you actually had to _try_."

Niou tried to spin to face Marui, but Shishido's tight hold on his shirt prevented it. He settled for twisting his head round and glared at the amused boy. "I didn't have to try to beat him. I won 6-2, didn't I?"

"Pft," Marui snorted. "You only ever sweat that much when you're really trying. C'mon, let's change Atobe's training schedules then go home."

"Shishido-san," Choutarou said, hurrying over as he recognised the look on Shishido's face. The one that said, 'You are _not_ getting away until we've exchanged blows that will end in a pointless fight with me probably losing but I'm really pissed with you right now and I might win this time so it's worth a try, damnit'.

Very reluctantly, Shishido let go and shoved Niou away from him.

"Ah, you're lucky you've got Ohtori-kun to look after you," Niou grinned, brushing himself down with exaggerated movements. "Wouldn't want you to have to wear any more plasters."

"Come on," Marui complained, pulling at the racquet in Niou's hand. "Let's go, already."

"You're not gonna mess up anything," Shishido snapped, temper beyond retrieval at Niou's sheer mocking sarcasm.

Marui stuck his chin up. "Hey, we had our highschool entrance exam today, thank you very much. We deserve a bit of fun. And so does fukubuchou."

"You've already had plenty of fun in the last forty minutes," Choutarou said unexpectedly. "I really don't think Atobe-senpai needs extra stress. He has an entrance exam to do too, you know. And his is tomorrow."

There was complete silence. Then Marui said, "Wow. Nice to see you're not just a shying violet. He's got a good point too, 'Haru."

Niou considered this.

"And we don't want Atobe to get so annoyed that he breaks up with fukubuchou for the hell of it," Marui persuaded.

Niou considered this too.

"I'll give you my blackmail material on Yanagi?" Marui said finally, giving up on trying to appeal to Niou's humane side. There really wasn't any point, seeing as its existence was only a myth.

"Alright, fine," Niou agreed. He turned round and started to head out the courts. "Here," he added as an afterthought, tossing the racquet back to Choutarou. "It's a good racquet."

"That's as close as he gets to saying thanks," Marui said, rolling his eyes. "See you around, Silver Pair-san."

"Hopefully not," Shishido muttered under his breath.

"We should head home too," Choutarou said, checking his watch. "It's nearly eight."

"Yeah, ok." Shishido kicked the side of the net once, hard, then headed back to his bag.

-------------------------------

"What?" Niou said finally, irritated. Marui had been smirking and grinning to himself for the last five minutes as they were walking, and it was starting to get annoying.

"Nothing," Marui said in a sing-song. He laughed as Niou knocking him sideways into a parked car with a growl. "Alright, alright. I'll tell you."

Niou waited. Then he knocked Marui into another parked car. "So tell me!"

"You _show-off_," Marui cackled. "You were totally showing off in front of that Ohtori kid. You didn't need to try so hard; you could've beaten Shishido 6-4, no problem. But no-oo, you have to show off how good you are and win 6-2."

Niou rolled his eyes. "Idiot. I bear grudges, remember? I wasn't going to let Shishido get more than two games after he beat me 6-0 when I was drunk."

"Whatever. You kept glancing over at him while you were playing. I saw you. _And_ you deliberately injected innuendos into our conversation to make him blush."

"No, that's just how I play doubles with you," Niou snorted.

Marui grinned hugely. "'Haru and Ohtori, sitting in a tree. F-U-"

Niou kicked him into the wall.

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Sandy: La la la. :) If you review, you'll make me fantasmically happy. :D

Questions, comments, suggestions, etc are as welcome as they always are. And like I've been asking for the last few drabblethings, I'd really, really appreciate it if you could be kind enough to include your favourite quote from this or another drabblething in your review. Thankies!

Until next time. n.n


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